your mission statement
Deep down, each of us longs to know what we’re here on earth to do—to have some sense of purpose and mission. Some people have a “life verse” from the Bible that gives them succinct focus. If you don’t have one of those, perhaps today’s passage is a good one to adopt.
compassionate warnings
I said, “I’m here for you when you really want to seek God. Although I’ve tried to help you to follow Jesus, our times together have simply become you recounting your continued sins and lack of spiritual interest.” Then, after praying for him, I set him free from my attempts to disciple him. Sadly, he’s never been willing to humble himself, repent of his sins, and follow God.
the brilliant face of God
The Incan Empire had practices that make us recoil. One was child sacrifice. Each year, certain families would surrender their child. They would celebrate their child and then give her corn alcohol to dull her fear. Then they would carry her up a mountain and knock her unconscious so that she wouldn’t feel pain. The child was then left to die of exposure. It would be wrong to surmise that these families de-valued children. Quite the opposite, this was a grave decision for the parents. They simply felt that their gods demanded this action.
slow boil
It’s ironic that superstar chef Gordon Ramsay doesn’t take long to reach full boil. If he deems someone isn’t taking his sage advice on how to use sage or cilantro, he goes ballistic. His meltdowns on the show Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares are legendary. Gordon could definitely use some of the “seasoning” that the apostle Paul wrote about in Colossians 3.